Torment
by SlytherinElektra
Summary: Two monsters (a certain green eyes alien and a certain green mutant/physicist) and a hero are trapped in an unbreachable cell. They will have to work together to reach a common goal: freedom. Angst, Loki whump, and the usual.
1. Chapter 1

When Bruce woke up, he was chained to a wall. There were two metal chains on the walls that ended in cuffs, oppressing his hands. He was in some sort of cell - cold dark with no windows. There were some sort of grey metal floors and there were metal bars in front of him. Everything was grey (the walls, the ceiling, all grey impenetrable metal) except for some blood traces every now and then, staining the floor. Vivid red on grey. There was a small metal toilet next to him and some black blankets on the other side of the cell.

Bruce didn't know where he was so he screamed, trying to get some attention. No one answered. There was only the echo of his own voice in the great grey cell. He couldn't get rid of those cuffs and no one was coming to say anything. He was dumped there and chained like an animal, no explanations. This was making him angry. He tried calling to whoever his captor was, maybe there was a justification. Maybe they were just testing something. Maybe it was just Fury, wondering if they're new Hulk-cell could him or not. He waited but received no answer. Just cold grey walls, cold grey floors. The hours passed.

He didn't remember much of what had happened before this. He was saying goodbye to Tony after meeting him for drinks when suddenly everything was going black. His knees gave out and suddenly he was on the floor, trying to fight the dizziness. Something was really wrong. He wondered if someone had put something in his drink. Asked for help, but the few people on the street ignored him. And he was falling, in a pitch of infinite blackness. He didn't understand. Why take him now? Everyone was happy. They were in a beautiful impasse between psychopaths and hulk-incidents, a few days were the most terrible thing in the news was the economic crisis. This shouldn't be happening.

He screamed, but there was no answer. Again.

Bruce was getting angry. Very, very angry.

As the Hulk resurfaced and his clothes broke, the green creature saw with horror that the cuffs on his hands got bigger with him, still holding him prisoner. The Hulk fought against the cuffs and chains, with all its force -but couldn't break them. Which made him a lot angrier and he tried to smash the walls, the floors, the metals bars. Nothing happened. The metal seemed invulnerable. There was nothing that could break it, not even the raw angry force of the green monster. The hulk fought and fought until he finally gave up and Bruce Banner appeared again, barely clinging to the remains of his shattered clothes.

There was a voice on the other side of the bars, appearing from the shadows.

"Good show, freak. A perfect reminder of why I am keeping you here." The voice of the man said, with a playful tone. "You are nothing but a monster, and monsters should be kept away from people, don't you think?"

Bruce took a good look at the man. Tall, thin, dressed in black and wearing a full-face black leather mask where black eyes shined. He also wore matching black gloves and shoes. The voice gave him no indication of who this man was.

"What do you want? Why am I here?" Bruce asked, trying to get closer. Damned chains.

"Well, I want to help America, just like your Avenger companions do, Doctor, nothing else. I am a justice-maker, ridding the world of monsters. You have ruined the lives of many people, Doctor. You smashed my office in New York, where I had the brunt of my investigation, forever lost in broken circuit. And should we talk about Harlem? There's people there who are still homeless after your attack. I am doing the world a favor by keeping you here, Doctor, and as an intelligent man you should probably understand it."

The mask prevented Bruce from seeing the man's expression, but his voice tone made the mask look like it was smiling. Creepy. He spoke matter-of-factly and with a lightness that was most unnerving.

"You didn't guess it seeing your cell partner?"

What cell partner? The only thing in his cell was a mound of black blankets on the other side and a tray on half-eaten food near it.

"Jeez, he didn't wake up with your Hulk number? I must have hit him harder than I thought."

The man opened the cell and entered. Bruce desperately tried to move towards freedom (an open door!) or towards the man to stop him, or see if he had any keys on him, but couldn't get anywhere. His chains were too short.

The masked man took the blanket that was in top of the mound and revealed the outline of an unconscious young man, with dried blood on his face and black hair that fell below his ears and to the back of his neck. The jailer took something, a small device, from his pocket and shocked the man. Nothing. Again he did it and again nothing happened. The third time the man stirred and violently grabbed masked-man's hand with his own chained one, and the prisoner whispered:

"You touch me again and..."

But the masked man got free and shocked him again, placing the thing in a particularly painful spot, judging by the other man's expression.

"I didn't wake you to hear your disgusting voice, pretty toy. Only so you could meet your new cellmate."

The man looked at Bruce's direction, and the scientist saw green eyes. Loki. A defiant but tired look in his eyes. The conqueror wannabe who his alter ego had thrashed on a floor just as he said that he was not going to be bullied.

"I'll leave you two monsters to catch up, okay? But don't go anywhere, I have other surprises for you boys. Soon."

And he left.

Loki considered this change. Maybe it was the next phase of his jailer's torture, trapping him with the man that put him through agony, and humiliated him in the world he tried to conquer. He would never admit it, but Loki still had nightmares about the Hulk sometimes. And since the masked man had sedated him and put him in the cell it had been pure hell. Torture after torture. He broke his bones, cut him and burnt his cuts. Insulted him once again as he cried, trying to break free. He liked playing with his mind. Dressing up as Thor, telling he'd come to save him. All lies. All pain.

There had been times, at the beginning of his captivity, in which he almost escaped. Times in which he arrived to hurt his jailer, reached a metal door that probably led to a street. But he was caught and shocked with that electric thing and thrown back in the cell. And The Mask (as he called the man) made him pay for trying to escape. Dearly. Now he couldn't do even that. He felt broken. It was as if the Hulk thrashed him every day and every day he was pinned to the floor in agony. Sometimes he passed out and didn't wake up for days. Those were the good times. Sometimes he was awake and prayed to the Allfather for death. Those were the bad times.

But Banner's arrival changed things. Maybe the Avengers would come to save him and Thor would take pity on him and release him too. At least he would have someone to talk to, other than his tormentor. Yes, Banner also hated him but... beggars can't be choosers, right?

Bruce looked at him, uncomfortable. He didn't know what to with this guy. Insult him? Hate him in silence? Try to get on his good side? Study him to see a bit what was going on.

"Loki.. hum... You have any idea of who this guy is?"

He wasn't Loki's best friend, but he seemed pretty harmless now and he'd been there obviously longer. Getting

"None at all, dear doctor. I call him The Mask. I only know for certain that he likes to give monsters their "Just deserts". Apparently you fall into that category same as me." He said, and even his voice was tired. He tried to pull himself together. This could mean salvation. He had to believe that. He faced the other man - _this is not the hulk _- he kept telling himself, _only the mild doctor_.

"And have you been here... Jesus, what happened to your face?"

There was a red mean cut starting on the left side of Loki's forehead that crossed all his face diagonally and ended in the right side of his chin. There was dried blood surrounding it and it looked extremely painful.

"Word of advice, Doctor Banner, do not spit in the eyes of The Mask. He does not seem to like it."

Bruce considered the words. This man was more dangerous than he knew if he slashed faces over a grievance.

Loki was in pain only remembering the incident. He'd wished he was dead for days after. But he didn't want to die in such a rotten place. He refused to. Not when it would make The Mask so happy. He only wished misery to that man.

"And you can't do magic anymore?" Bruce asked, seeing a way out of the nightmare.

Loki shook his head.

"Apparently your SHIELD found a way to stop my magic. This man has taken that technology and applied it to my cuffs."

Bruce saw a blue glitter in Loki's chains, a part of them filled with blue liquid a surrounded by a translucent layer of the apparently indestructible metal. They were screwed. He also really didn't know how to feel about Loki being there. Should he be angry at the man? It had been a long while since the attack and Loki didn't appear to have been spending the best of times since then. And it wasn't him who sent a nuclear missile to wipe out a good part of New York. He was the monster that everybody blamed, yes, but Bruce couldn't shake off the feeling that it hadn't been all him. That there had been other people in the shadows, still unknown and that Loki had been the perfect scapegoat. Maybe he was supposed to hate the man but, right now, he was the only one in his side. A monster, like him - a monster chained and bound, at that man's mercy. Loki was the only person he could talk to. The only one with whom he could plot escape. And he wanted to escape - badly.

The hours went by and Bruce continued to try and force the cell, to no avail. They were fed horribly tasting food. Bruce wondered if his friends knew he missing. If Tony was searching for him. He learned that Loki had been there about two months - and no one had come looking for him. The Mask took pleasure on reminding him of that fact. Over and over again. Loki also told Bruce about his attempted escapes and the metal door. Sweet freedom.

Both men knew they had a better chance at freedom if they worked together. And if Bruce escaped, Loki was coming with him. He had a vague idea of what the man did with the god when he shocked him unconscious to _play _with him a while later, based on how he returned. No one deserved that. As expected, the Asgardian didn't want to talk afterwards and just fell into an uneasy sleep. One thing was to be broken and another thing was to have other warriors see and hear him broken. That was something else completely.

Bruce tried to sleep, too, feeling his head tired. He considered asking Loki to try to pass him one of his blankets, but the man was already sleep and Bruce didn't want to wake him. He'd just had to use his hands as pillow tonight.

Some hours passed (could be two, could twenty, who knew in that windowless cell?) and when Bruce woke up again there was someone else near him in the cell. Someone blindfolded, a man on his knees facing him. His hands were handcuffed too and there was something shiny on them - a sword.

Bruce took the blindfold and saw his face.

"Steve!"

The mask talked behind them, having appeared from the shadows,as usual.

"The perfect soldier himself. A good man. The best of them, maybe. Gentlemen, this is the story of two monsters and a hero. The story of how this good man slayed the alien terrorist and the irrational green mutant, freeing the world of two terrible dangers. A story of how good trumps evil. I want to see this story play itself out, I want to enjoy the sound of what's good finishing what's rotten. Give this story its happy ending, Captain, kill the monsters and you will be free."

A/N: If you know me, you know of my love for Bruce, Steve, and whumped Loki. Inspired a bit by the gorgeous fic "Ambivalence" by Ashley Rabbit, I decided to have my own attempt at cell-drama. If you want something less angsty, you can take a look at my other ongoing story, Paris, which has happier situations.

Hope you liked it! Do tell me what you thought!

You know you want to review!


	2. Chapter 2

Steve didn't really remember how he came to be in this strange metal cell.

Everything before arriving was a bit blurry and confusing. His last clear memory was of ordering a pizza and some water to wash it down. He found that the water had a strange aftertaste, but didn't pay it much attention. Then things had started to get a bit blurry. The shapes of the furniture in his small apartment began to lose their solid edges, lost their definition. And the room was suddenly spinning all around him, at an incredible speed. He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. Nothing. Distressed, he tried to call someone with his cell phone but couldn't dial the right numbers so he just called the last number.

But before he could say something - anything - two blurry shadows, two men, entered his apartment all dressed in black, and he didn't have enough strength to fight them. They hand-cuffed him, which was very strange (wasn't he the good guy?). He tried to get rid of them until one of the shadows injected him something else and then everything was going black and he was falling forward.

When he awoke again he couldn't see anything. Couldn't even open his eyes - he'd been blindfolded and the fold was too tight. He was on his knees, his hands cuffed in front of him. And there was something in them, something cold and metallic. He felt it. Some sort of hilt, maybe? This was all so very strange. But he'd been a prisoner before and he could handle it. He only needed to be calm and control the situation. Assess it.

The whole place where he was being kept felt metallic, the floor cold under his knees. There was also a faint smell of blood and sweat. And he could hear breathing. Wherever he was, he was not alone. Before he had a chance to say anything, he heard the sound of steps and chains moving: somebody was coming his way. There were hands on his face and suddenly the fold was lifted.

"Steve?"

The first thing he saw were Banner's dark eyes, looking at him, surprised.

Then he looked around and saw the metallic cell, the great bars, the blood stains on the floor. Then Banner in front of him, cuffed and chained to the wall. If their captor had been able to restrain him and his beast they were in big trouble. There was another man on the other side of the cell, chained as well.

And then there was this voice behind him giving that speech about good and evil. Steve looked carefully at the man, trying to take in every little detail, everything that could be useful to reverse this situation. It was obvious that he'd gone to great lengths to hide his identity, but he hadn't concealed his voice. And they also had his words, his beliefs. He realised that there were no more chains on the cell, which meant he didn't mean to chain him too. That was good. He got up to a standing position, leaving the sword on the floor.

When the man was done he answered, as calm as possible.

"I don't know who you are, Sir, but I do know about good trumping evil. I've helped that happen many times, as you may already know. And that can only happen if you release us immediately. Justice is the only way in which good can triumph."

The man let out a little sarcastic laugh.

"Justice?"

He came closer to the bars.

"Your justice would never convict Banner and all the damage his Hulk did would never be punished. All the property, all the houses and the dreams of many people shattered because he got angry and smashed everything. He is a danger to America and the people who live in it."

The Captain interrupted him.

"Doctor Banner is a good man."

Bruce smiled a bit. The Mask was not convinced.

"Doctor Banner is the misleading façade of an irrational beast. The monster's way to scape punishment. But I should have known that you would not accept to kill him, because you are friends. And I admire the loyalty. I'll give you time to see the truth, time to realise how right I am. Maybe you could start with the other one? I am sure we'll agree there is no good in that piece of intergalactic garbage?"

Steve looked in the direction of the other man and recognised him. Loki. Excessively pale, slumped and badly injured. Loki. God of mischief and wannabe ruler of earth. His green eyes smiled.

"So this was your plan, Mask? You must know already it's useless. An honorable warrior like the Captain would never slay someone in chains like myself."

"Give him time to hate you like I do." The Mask said.

"He will not do it, you imbecile, no honest warrior would."

"And what can you possibly know about honest warriors, little shit? Oh, yeah, that man you once thought was your brother, right? Maybe I should have brought him in. I'm pretty sure he'd happy to finally be rid of you. He'd have no hesitation, maybe even thank me."

Loki threw the man a poisonous look but didn't answer. He shouldn't let the man's words wound him, but they did. And he hated it.

The Captain spoke again.

"Loki is right, Sir. If I have to kill him, it will be in battle, while he is causing harm. Not while he is chained and bound and injured. I am a soldier, sir, not an assassin."

"Maybe some days in a closed space with them will change your mind, good Captain, make you see the truth in my words. Remember, a couple of swift blows with the sword and it will all be over. A safer world and your freedom. It's in your hands, dear Captain."

And then the man is gone.

"Sir! Sir! Damn it!"

Steve looks at his cell mates. Bruce looks tired and his clothes are only pieces that hang off him. On the other side of the cell Loki looks pale as death and there is a scar crossing his face. He's covered himself in black blankets trying to hide his weakened appearance. He doesn't think the Captain will strike, but still he'd rather not be seen as an easy target. Just in case.

The Captain checked the cell, tried to break Banner's cuffs and the bars with the sword he'd been given. It was useless. The cell seemed to be made of something remarkably similar to the material of his own shield. Impenetrable, unbreakable. Bruce explained the thing with his cuffs and how they got bigger.

"Sounds like magic, doesn't it?" Steve said, looking at Loki.

"It is not. Is only another astounding characteristic of this material. I am sure that in a laboratory the good Doctor could study it and describe it with a lot of your technical words."

Loki knew they would blame him, blame him for everything. Possibly even say that this was only one of his schemes, that he created the whole thing. Oh, how he wished it was the case.

That was exactly what Steve was thinking. He spoke to Banner, more quietly.

"What if all this is a trick? A trick to make us feel bad for him, while he's running the whole thing with magic tricks."

"I don't think that the case, Steve. This man is after people he thinks bad, and he was prepared to take us down. It's pretty logical that he would seek him out, too. I don't know... maybe I'm wrong, but... but I don't think he's behind this. Look at his face, for example. We both saw how much he cared about his looks last time, with the armour and the hair slicked back, I really don't think he would slice his own face just get on our good side. It would be easier to simply make himself look like Fury or Tony, more dignified."

Bruce didn't know why he was defending Loki but he felt the need to do it. He'd spent a long night thinking about it and had reached many conclusions. A night, after all, was full of hours and he was a quick thinker.

Steve nodded at him. He still didn't trust the other man, but Banner's logic was sound.

"And I think the real threat is out there," Bruce continued "the man who drugged us and brought us over here. I think The Mask is real, and that he's been preparing this fairy tale of warriors for quite a while, ever since the Hulk destroyed his research. Revenge can be a powerful motivation."

"And holding Loki makes him feel good about himself. The man who stopped the terrorist."

"Exactly." Bruce was glad that the soldier and him were on the same page. He could be an interesting ally.

"God, we need to find a way out of here, before we go crazy."

"Loki, tell Steve about the metal door."

He didn't appreciate being told what to do, but he did it anyway. It was probably best to be as civil as possible with both Avengers to prevent that sword from coming into contact with him. Steve listened. They had a common goal now, a metal door.

The hours went by with no changes. Steve studied the sword, carefully and tried it on different parts of the cell. The bars, the ceiling, nothing. This was something that couldn't be broken, couldn't be destroyed. Bruce checked his corner for camera or microphones. It would be no use if they planned an escape and The Mask was hearing all about it. There didn't seem to be anything of the sort. But it wasn't excessively surprising, given that The Mask didn't think that they'd be there long, talking. No, he'd thought that the Captain would kill the other two like obedient soldier he was.

The Mask didn't come back and this time Loki shared the blankets with the other two occupants. Steve, much like Bruce the first night, could not sleep. He was afraid that the man would come back and catch them while they slept. Afraid that Loki might be up to something, might be trying to manipulate them. But there was no movement. Loki made some funny noises while he slept, but Steve thought it had to do more with breathing trouble than evil schemes. He looked at the man and wondered how he ended up looking so frail, so small. Next to him, Banner and himself were the picture of health.

Could this all be a trick? He wouldn't give details of locations or anything else around him, just in case. Eventually, he went to sleep, too, tired. Maybe it was the cell, that was tiring him or the frustration of not being able to find a solution. He didn't know.

Loki dreamed about Asgard, about people looking down on him and mocking him, calling him weak. He dreamed about The Mask torturing him (in Asgard, yes, but when you're dreaming everything makes sense, even the most impossible things) only this time he took out his mask and it was Thor, laughing at him with shiny-white teeth. And it hurt. He awoke, gasping, suddenly happy this was not Asgard, happy that this was only his cell and the familiar metal.

"You okay?" The Captain asked, seeing how distressed the alien looked.

Loki nodded, trying to clear his head. He hated dreaming either it was nightmare or they were so good reality felt like a nightmare. He looked at the Captain, as bright and new as when he fought him last time.

"So, you seem the only one of us with experience breaking out of prison." Steve said. "Care to explain how you escaped Asgard?"

"They were transporting me to court for yet another trial on some crimes that had been pinned on me when I fought the guards and transported myself here, to Midgard. First place I thought of."

"And you can't do that now? Appear in Asgard, ask for help?"

"This cuffs and the blue liquid in them act as a blocking agent, I can't reach my magic. I assume either SHIELD or maybe the people who worked with me last time gave them details about my magic, myself. Whoever this is, they seem to have details of everything related to the Avengers and me. Your shield's metal to make the cell, extendable chains for the Hulk and I even think I glimpsed a reproduction of Mjolnir on a hallway when I almost escaped."

"That is creepy." Stated Banner on the other side of the room.

Some hours later, The Mask reappeared, from the shadows. Before Steve had a chance to say more than two words, there was a dart on his neck and he fell, unconscious.

"So that was the dosage." The Mask said, admiring his work. "I messed it a bit the first time."

Bruce tried to reach his fallen friend but couldn't thanks to those damned chains.

He placed himself in front of Loki and said in a most jovial tone.

"I came to play... but I need a toy for that."

God, the man was a sadist. Bruce tried to distract him.

"Hey, I couldn't help but notice that my cellmates are dressed. Couldn't you give me some new clothes?"

"Sure. I'm not loving seeing you half naked. I will bring some around later."

He took out his electric thingy. Bruce didn't even want to look, so he continued.

"What about a shower? Steve doesn't seem super keen on killing us, and I don't want to reek if we're going to be here long."

"Well, we have a deal, this toy and I, don't we? I leave him on a bath with those pretty cuffs and some soap every now and then. Shame he's too clumsy and almost drowns over and over."

The Mask liked to drown him and choke him and laugh as he struggled to catch his breath again. There were no words to describe the hatred Loki felt for this man. Belittling him. Mocking him. He, who had been royalty. And now he was only a broken toy. He managed to land a punch in the mask before the man shocked him and he felt no more. Bruce watched helpless as Loki's cuffs opened and The Mask put another pair (with that blue glow, too) on the unconscious man and took him away.

When The Mask returned a couple of hours later and chained Loki back into the cell he was bleeding and didn't answer when Bruce called him. Loki just couldn't cope anymore. There was only pain and humiliation. And The Mask threatened with worse things if he didn't convince the Captain to do what he asked. _You are good with words- use that. Or I will come to play with you every day and every night for as long as you're here. _But he wouldn't. He'd promised himself he'd do the opposite of what that man wanted. If he wanted him dead, then he would live. If he wanted him to convince the Captain to kill then he'd have to convince the Captain to save him.

When Steve awoke again (god, this man sure loved his drugs) the smell of blood was stronger. It was coming from the place where Loki was. He went to Banner and he explained what had happened. He then went to Loki, to check if he was all right.

He didn't look all right. There were ligature marks on his neck and he was still bleeding. The pale eyes looked at him.

"You ok?"

"Captain... I need to get out of here. And I can do it, I know I can and Banner too. But we'll need your help."

* * *

In the upper east side, Tony Stark was on a limo trying to contact Bruce. He'd received a very weird call from the Captain (there had been no words, only the faint sounds of a struggle and then the phone dropping) and when he'd called again for an explanation the phone had been disconnected. He'd shrugged it off as another chapter of _Steve Rogers has trouble with modern technology_ but then he got a call from Fury asking if he knew anything about him, which was odd.

So, he decided to call his Avenger bestie to discuss it, but Bruce was unreachable, too. He went to his apartment and the landlady said she hadn't seen him since the night they went for drinks. Odd. He went to the place where Bruce had been seen last (the bar where they had drinks) and took a look around. There was an alley nearby. And that's when he saw it. A beggar wearing the jacket Bruce had on him the last time he'd seen him.

"Hey, cool jacket. Where did you get it?" Tony asked the man.

"It was right over there thrown on the alley, with a bunch of stuff, like an engraved watch and other things. I pawned the watch and got money for elegant twenty-year scotch and a whole meal."

"Did you read the words on the watch?"

"Ya, it said _to Bruce._ Funny, huh? I thank Bruce for the booze."

"Yeah, pal, hilarious."

He took out his phone again. This was bad, very bad. He needed someone he could trust on this. He dialled a number, worried. Steve was missing, Bruce was missing. They were colleagues. They were friends. Someone picked up on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Jane Foster speaking."

"Hey, Jane, it's Tony Stark. I was wondering, is Thor around?"

"Yeah, one moment."

The phone changed hands and a deep voice came.

"Who is this?"

"Hey, pal, it's the man of iron. We've got a problem."

A/N: Hope you liked it! Sorry for all the mistakes and please do review! I love every comment (except flames, of course). They inspire me.

Reviews are love!


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing else seemed to happen. But Loki had been thinking, concocting a plan and so he told Steve.

"I've been thinking about it ever since you two arrived, seeing how could we use this to escape." The god said, a small smirk in his lips.

"I have too." Banner interjected. "I think Steve will have it the easiest."

"Me? Because I'm not in chains, I assume." It was quite an advantage compared to his cell mates.

"Because he can not hurt you, Captain." Loki said "He has to keep up the illusion that he is doing good. So he can play with us all he wants, because we are merely monsters. But you... you are a soldier, a hero. He can't kill you. And yes, you have the widest mobility of all of us."

"Yes, but you have seen the way the man drugs every time he appears so I'm never awake when he opens the door. And you are two are chained... we need some way to distract the man."

Loki sighed. He didn't want to do this because it always left him drained and in pain, but he wanted out. In any which way he could.

"I may be able to reach a bit of magic despite the chains. It won't be easy, and I'll have to be very concentrated... That is how I almost escaped last time. Although I was in better shape back then. Nevermind, I could deflect the dart slightly and make an illusion of one reaching your neck."

Banner understood the plan instantly.

"So he thinks that Steve is knocked out, when actually he is only waiting to leave when The Mask opens the door."

"You use that moment to run out of the open door and run to the door. You're strong enough to break it down, leave and find help." Loki finished.

"And leave you behind? Alone? The Mask would get very angry about it and could kill you!"

Steve was not a man to run and leave his friends behind. Yes, this was not and Bruce and Loki were not his soldiers but he had no intention of escaping and leaving them behind.

"It's not that easy to kill the Hulk, Steve. And think about it, you could leave and ask for help, finish with this whole thing, bring down the whole operation. And you wouldn't be in this cell anymore! You could bring back-up and shut this guy down for good!"

"We don't know if he's working alone or not. It's too risky. And I don't like a plan where I'm leaving you guys here in a cell abandoned. I know the HUlk can protect you... but nevertheless... And what about you?" Steve asked, looking at Loki.

"I would much rather die with hope getting out of here than live on this rotten hell."

It was not nice, but it was the truth. He couldn't live under The Mask constant torment anymore. Steve nodded.

"We'll try it. But I only leave if I can find a way to realease you too. And that's that."

Better than nothing, Loki thought, even if he wished the man would just flee if he had the chance. The likelihood of all three of them getting out in the small window of time they would have was terribly small. But it was something.

So that evening when The Mask returned to once again take Loki away, the plan was set in motion. Loki was concentrated, focused like last time on reaching the magic. Neutralising the barriers. It was tough, it was painful, but it had to be done. The tranquilising dart was shot but Loki was able to deflect it and create the illusion of it reaching Rogers. The Captain fell like he was supposed to, playing unsconscious. It was all going according to plan.

The Mask opened the door and came in, making Bruce very angry and creating the perfect distraction with his grunts and punches. Steve quickly got up and ran towards the open cell door. The Mask, now out of the Hulk's reach (and those limitations made him even angrier) pointed the dart gun at the escaping soldier but Loki snatched it out of his hands and shot him. The Mask fell down unceremoniously on the floor.

"LOKI GOOD JOB" said the Hulk, while continuing to get rid of his chains.

Loki's eyes widened. He'd never imagined he would live to hear the Hulk complimenting him.

"It was my pleasure, green-ness."

Steve ran through the hallways trying to reach the metal door. He ran and ran until he saw it, bright and shiny. He could just punch right through and ask for help. But couldn't leave knowing that The Mask could wake up in the cell and kill both Loki and Bruce when he saw his hero gone. No, there had to be another way. There was a smaller door to the left, grey too and Steve opened it forcing the lock. It was some sort of control room and there he could see (but not hear) the Bruce and Loki in the cell. They had taken The Mask down with his weapon. That was good, it would give them some time. Now, there had to be a button, an order on the computer to let go of those chains...

He was so focused on that, that Steve didn't see the man that had approached. A man he knew. A man that entered the place silently.

"Agent Loughlin! Thank god you're here! There's a man who..."

The air smelled weird. Then Steve fell.

When he awoke again, he was back in the cell and chained this time. The Mask was no longer there.

"Hey, you ok?" Said Bruce's voice next to him. "What happened?"

"I don't really know... What about you? Last I saw you, you had knocked out the enemy."

"I couldn't reach him, I can never reach him. And doing that magic had left Loki totally worn out, when the guy woke up, he just beat him unconscious with a couple of blows and told us that we would pay for this. But we thought you were gone for good..."

"I never left. I was trying to set you guys free when I ran into... Agent Loughlin..."

"Who?"

"Agent Loughlin. The Mask is working with SHIELD agents, that how they know so much about us! Then I felt weird, next thing I know is I was back here, in the cell. And chained now. Damn, I should have left."

"Yes, you should." Said Loki's voice on the other side. "But it was a nice attempt. We can still hope that you Avenger friends might have noticed your absence and come to save you, hopefully, with the strength with which you came to defeat me."

Wow, this version of Loki was much nicer than the one they'd known before. He even made snarky comments about being defeated.

"Let's hope they are here soon."

* * *

In New York, an engineer and a norse god tried to figure out where their friends were. They were in one of Stark's places, almost alone. Tony had told Pepper about his missing friends but not SHIELD. He couldn't trust those guys and he didn't, the same way they didn't trust him. But he could trust Thor. He had many oddities and a fancy way of speaking, and even if they hadn't even very close when fighting, they were part of the same team, and the people missing were friends for both of them, they were in this together. And Thor was a noble guy.

"So, JARVIS is searching for the footage of the traffic cams near Steve's place."

Thor simply nodded. Tony didn't know if the man even understood what _footage _or _traffic cams_ are, but he guessed his pretty lady friend had taught him the basics. But he was an alien.

"What were you doing here on earth anyway?" Tony asked, to make conversation.

"I was looking for my brother." He simply stated

"Loki?"

"He is the only brother I had."

"Isn't he supposed to be in jail?"

"He escaped. He was supposed to be hiding here on Midgard, but I cannot find him anywhere. But he is a shape-shifter, he could hide for centuries if he wanted to." Thor said, as if it was no big deal.

"Yaaay."

Then JARVIS informed them that it had the footage ready and Tony started passing it quickly to see if they found something interesting. Which they did. Three men in black car, three weirdly familiar men. They passed them through face recognition and turned out they were SHIELD agents.

"But why would SHIELD go after Steve? He hasn't done anything wrong like... ever."

"Well, whatever it is this mystery you and your technology will be able to solve it, right, friend Stark?"

"You be sure of that, pal. I'm gonna crack this thing like a bad back."

"Maybe when you finish with this you could aid me in my search of Loki."

"Sure, why not? But first things first. Let's get all the dirty info on who the hell this guys are and what are they doing. But it can't be that bad if SHIELD's on it, right? They're supposed to be the good guys."

Tony had no idea of how wrong he was.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, Loki had a dream about escaping that cell with the Avengers that night. It was a very sweet dream in which The Mask was defeated and he left with the Captain of America and Doctor and they breathed fresh air and saw the sky above them and the land below. And they could move and go places and no one came for them- They were people once again, not toys. They were free and Loki almost cried from joy. The air, the ground, the water, the sky, the lands. It was too beautiful. Too beautiful to be true.

But then he woke up and he was still in the cell. And the Captain and Banner were chained too, in his same cell.

Well, at least he had someone with whom he could plan another escape. Yes, because they wouldn't stop attempting to get out until they were finally out. And they could. They were three resourceful and powerful men working together. They could get out. And maybe they couldn't. Maybe The Mask would break him too much before he could leave and he would die there. Who knew?

But their attempted escapes on the next few days were useless. Finally, they decided to rest for a bit until attempting anything else.

Steve was angry at this whole situation. Someone, a man, had taken them and was using them to live some sort of twisted fairy tale ending. To get revenge for something that had happened to him, with blood. Their blood. And to top it all SHIELD was with him, providing him with intel on how to stop them. Steve still hoped it was only a few rotten apples and that the whole SHIELD wasn't going after them, but still. Him and Banner had being good soldiers and Loki… Well, Loki was not an example of rectitude but he didn't deserve torture either. That was out of the question.

The days passed and little happened. Steve tried to speak with The Mask but the man didn't go close enough. It's was as if he was ignoring them. He knew that his plan was not going the way he wanted, with the good Captain working side by side with those assassins. Now, he would let them rot. Until they killed themselves over a bit of food. He left a bottle of water in the cell every night, but no food was there. But The Mask didn't realise this were no normal people. They were enhanced people, who could survive better than any other. They would not be won that easily.

But without food there were no distractions.

"So… how have things been going since last time?" Bruce asked one day, trying to make conversation, trying to deflect the subject from the cell or the hunger.

"I have been trying to adjust better to this time." Steve said. "Did you know that you can buy food with a computer? This internet thing is really incredible."

"Yes, it is…. Although sometimes it can be quite bothering, this age of information. Especially when you want to disappear." Bruce said, a bit sad. Then he looked at Loki. "You said you were hiding here on earth, how did you do it HIde from all the cameras, the police looking for you."

"I forged some documents, magicked myself some money and lived in a very big city. No one bats an eyelash at you twice if you live like everybody else. If somebody asks, you say it's an unfortunate resemblance and try to avoid the law enforcement forces. Like Rogers said, the internet can be very useful."

"Really? And what does a psycho-killer in hiding do to entertain himself?" Steve asked.

"You wound me, Captain. I am more than a mere killer, there are many more sides to me." Steve arched an eyebrow. Loki smiled. "I also steal and lie."

Jokes were always when being in such an oppresive situation.

"And I enjoy your literature and cinema, as primitive as it may be." Loki added a bit later. They talked about it.

They talked about the internet, about society and about justice. Of course, the subject of the Stuttgart and the New York incidents were usually avoided. No need to add insult to injury. Loki had become just another partner, another cellmate, a sort of middle-man. He was an intellectual and knew about science like Bruce but he'd also been a soldier and fought in wars like Steve. He knew things. He was smart and talkative. No one had forgotten what he'd done, but right now, on this place, it didn't matter. He was already in jail, wasn't he? Paying for his crimes. Dearly. If you ignored the dark past, he could be a very good cell mate. Other times he wasn't. When he came from a_ session_ with The Mask he was usually silent and pale, in bad shape. Steve cringed thinking about what that masked man could be doing to Loki.

Because The Mask was ignoring them in most fronts, but not on that one. He still came and took Loki away. Now he usually came at night, when the other two were sleeping. And suddenly Loki was awoken by the pain. And that mask above him, gagging him and tying him, insulting him and burning in the most painful ways. But he'd gotten used to it, with time. And having people to talk to when he got out was a nice change. Could be worse.

"He is preparing something for you next, Banner." Loki warned the doctor one morning after he was returned, with shiny eyes and a hand full of broken fingers. Because as much as he had hated the man, he didn't want him to go through all that. Nobody deserved that pain. And he liked Banner, more than he would ever admit.

"Damn! Where are Tony and the others? I'm starving here! I really don't think I'll be able to withstand as much as you do. Seriously, how can you still be awake?"

Loki's voice was small and rough, but clear and laced with sarcasm:

"I am a god, you dull creature."

"Well, that sounds familiar. Wasn't that the last thing you told me bfore the hulk smashed you?"

"No, the last thing I said was _I will not be bullied._ Oh, the irony."

Maybe it was light-headedness caused by the hunger, or the solitude, or them going crazy, but they laughed. And laughed some more.

It was two days later that The Mask made his reappearance. And with some food that he left on the middle of the cell, close to the Captain. Steve looked at Bruce, and they nodded. They ate a bit but left most of there. Steve went then with the food towards Loki, who looked worse than ever after being all night with their captor. He'd been bleeding when had returned in the morning, and barely spoken a word. So Steve felt that it was him who needed this food the most, and Bruce agreed. The Captain handed the tray to Loki, who took it gratefully with shaking hands.

"See that, right there? That is your problem, Captain. That is why after over three weeks you are still here, with no weapons and not able to move. You can't differentiate between good and evil. I am your friend, not them – and yet you keep defending those monsters."

"You are the monster, Mask. I can see good and evil perfectly and I see every day what you to Loki. And you call yourself and good-doer?"

"He needs to be taught lesson." The Mask said, solemn." For the good of everyone"

"I warn you, Mask. Your plan is failing, you coward, you will never turn us against each other."

"Then you'll starve together. And you will see these beloved monsters of yours hurt, experience agony and then die in front of you. You cannot win, idiots. You're losing. Good always trumps evil."

"But we will prevail." Said Loki's voice, weak but determined. "I ignore how or when but you will fall."

Bruce and Steve smiled. Yes, they would. They would win and see that idiot that had trapped them trapped himself. Oh, how they were looking forward to that.

* * *

It had been some long days, but after long hours of research, Tony and Thor finally had a location. It was a place on a road in upstate New York. And they were there, inside After some difficulties, they managed to get some informations on the characteristics of the place and how many people could be there, details. Now they were fully suited and on the door. They were armed, ready and very motivated. They would get in, find Steve and Bruce and free them. No more games.

"Let's go, big Viking. Time to get our friends back."

There was a nod and with a blast the metal door was gone.

They were in.


	5. Chapter 5

There was not a lot of people in the building. When Tony and Thor stormed in, no alarm sounded, no one came to greet them. Tony feared for a minute that they got the wrong address, that this place was only a decoy. But they had to be sure. Completely, absolutely sure.

After breaking down four or five doors, a small group of men came at them, wielding guns, but nothing more. They were no match for Iron Man and the mighty Mjolnir, and were out in minutes. This all seemed very strange. How could this few people hold the Hulk and the Captain prisoner? Bruce's alter ego could have swept them off without problems. No, there was something funky about this.

Maybe this was all a trap to get them as well, like they got Bruce and Steve.

Better not to think about that. Simply go and free their friends.

After ten minutes of useless search they finally found the right room. Steve and Bruce had been dozing off, trying to forget about the hunger and the darkness plaguing them, when they heard a big boom. There was a light, a blinding light, and the door of the cell was no more. And there they were, the Iron Man and the God of thunder, in front of them, with a surprised look on their faces. Could this be true? Could they really be there?

"Hey! Guess who's come to save the day!" Tony chanted happily.

"Took you guys long enough." Bruce answered, and smiled. It was almost over. That nightmare was almost over.

"Time to get you out of this place."

Tony sent a blast to the chains to the break them, but it didn't work. And then he tried again. And then he used all the other gadgets in his suit. And then Thor shook Mjolnir against them. It wasn't working.

"What the fuck are this chains made of? Adamantium?" Asked a very pissed off Tony. Most of the guards were unconscious now, but they could wake up and call for more people. And then they would be screwed.

"There is a control room near the main door. Maybe there's a way to unchain us there." Bruce said, hopeful.

"Ok, I'll go and use my considerable technological skills to solve this. Watch my back, blondie?" Thor nodded. "Well, don't worry, boys, we'll be back before you have time to miss us."

So they went back to the place where they came from, trying to be silent, wondering where the ruler of this whole thing was or how he was not alerted. But it worked in their favor. The control room was easy to find, and they found tot their surprise that there was no one in the room. The only cameras that there were showed the cells, most of them empty except for the one were Bruce and Steve were still chained. There was no trace of any master mind behind this. Could it simply have been a SHIELD operation?

Tony busied himself with the controls, the computers and the screens, while Thor held out his hammer threateningly. Maybe he couldn't help the man of iron much with the computers, but he could ensure his safety. Stark was the scientist, he was the warrior. And he was okay with that. He wondered for a moment if this had anything to do with Loki, if he was trying to get revenge. He didn't think so, not really. Loki would have already reacted to people storming in his facility, moved the prisoners before they got there, done something.

But The Mask was simply too busy.

After some minutes, and with the help of JARVIS, Tony finally found the way to unchain his friends. He did so, and they were back at the cell in no time. Bruce and Steve were not in the best of shapes, what with being nearly starved and chained to a wall for days, but they could still walk.

"Let's get out of here, boys, now."

"We can't." Steve said. "He still has him somewhere… we can't leave him here…"

Bruce nodded. Loki could be a criminal, but they weren't. And they weren't going to leave someone with his torturer. Not another minute.

"Who has who?" Tony was angry. There was no one else in the cells and they were wasting time. They had to get out there before they were chained too and this became a disaster.

"The Mask… the man who's been keeping us prisoners… he has Loki. He's been… he's been torturing him. We need to find him and take him out."

"Wait, what? Loki? What if this is his doing? What if he's the one pulling all the strings? Let me guess, he's always tortured out of your sight, right? But he comes back with terrible marks and bleeding wounds. He's trying to fool you, guys. We get out of this place, get some food in you and then we come back for Loki. With all our weapons." There was a slightly threatening tone to Tony's words. Loki had obviously messed with his friends minds, but he was having none of it.

"I will stay to find my brother. Victim or foe, I will not leave him here when he could be in danger, or endangering other people's lives."

"We'll go with you." Steve said. He was tired and hungry but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving their cellmate alone with that psycho. And now they a chance at their sweet freedom, now that they had Thor and Tony on their side.

"He usually takes him to the left, we don't where exactly but to the left." Bruce said and the four of them went that way.

They opened doors and they were all empty. Until they heard voices coming from a door and hurried there.

They opened the door to find a gut-wrenching sight.

Loki was tied to a wall behind him and a masked man was coming at him with a small flame thrower. There were small burns all across his chest, stomach and neck. His head fell to his neck, lifeless, eyes closed. There was no reaction to their entrance. Tony's doubt about the Asgardian's involvement decreased. This didn't seem part of a ploy, it was too much. It seemed that the Mask was an actual real person. A real person that reacted immediately, unlike his prisoner.

He'd been very pissed when he heard the door opening. He had made it very clear that he didn't want to be disturbed under any circumstances when he was in that room. No exceptions whatsoever. He wanted to be left alone, to enjoy tormenting this monster in peace. It was price for all his work. The let out for the things he lost. And he was teaching a murderer a lesson, something the rest of the world did not dare do. It was a perfect moment and he liked to be alone. But someone opened the door.

"I said no one's allowed in here! Didn't you…?"

Damn. It was the Iron Man and Thor with his escaped prisoners. And they looked angry.

They were. Thor didn't know if he was angry or sad at the state of his brother.

The Mask knew he had to act fast so he shot Banner with his dart gun, used the unconscious body of his toy as a human shield and got out through the emergency escape exit to the roof. He only had to run until the helicopter and he'd be free. They wouldn't catch him.

"I'll go after him!" Shouted Tony. This was just a mere man and he was the Iron Man. There was no way he was escaping.

But just as he came out to stop the Mask from getting in his chopper the man shot him five or six times (with a real gun, this time) in all the most vulnerable parts of the armor. The joints, the central processors, everything. It was not enough to take him out of the equation but enough to be stopped for some seconds while the man escaped in his chopper, and Tony decided he was probably more useful back with his friends. They were the `priority now, and not that madman.

Down in the _interrogation room_, Bruce was drugged, the Captain was weak and hungry and Thor was untying his brother. He slapped his face softly.

"Loki?"

No answer. A small amount of blood fell from his mouth. Thor took him in his arms and looked at Tony with a pleading look.

"Sure, don't worry. We'll take him to my place to recover."

"Maybe he could help us catch this man." Steve said. "He was here before us."

"I hope that is true, Captain" Thor stated. "Because this man has to pay."

They went out through the main door, hurt, unsteady, sad for not having caught that man. But they were finally free.

It was a shame that Loki was too badly hurt to see the moment he'd been dreaming about for so long.

A/N: Not the end! Much Loki hurt/comfort and the hunt for The Mask will follow. Thank you for those who'd reviewed and hope you have enjoyed this chapter!

(I meant to keep them longer in prison but I just loooove rescue scenes!)


	6. Chapter 6

When they arrived at Stark's place, it felt like a victory. This meant they made it, they were finally out.

They all breathed relieved as they got up in the elevator of the tower, and JARVIS greeted them joyously. The nightmare was over. Loki was still out so Thor placed him gently in one of the guest bedrooms that Stark had indicated. He was still unconscious, still black and blue. Lifeless.

The god of thunder sat next to his brother, waiting patiently for some sign of life. He had Mjolnir with him, just in case. That madman was still out there, and it was pretty obvious that he hated his brother. But now Loki was under Thor's watch. They wouldn't get to him that easily.

On another floor, Stark watched happy how Bruce and Steve ate as if there was no tomorrow - ravenously.

It was such a pleasure, finally eating proper food after spending so long so hungry. Thinking about food. Thinking about the flavours and the aromas. And now it was there... It felt like heaven. Bruce and Steve enjoyed each mouthful.

Having windows was also a welcome novelty.

When their eating rhythm finally decreased, the ex-prisoners spoke to Tony with more detail about their imprisonment, what had happened. The Mask, the sword, his plans for Steve and all his speeches.

"Since when are Bruce and Loki on the same side?" asked Tony, not understanding this guy. At all.

"According to mister Mask, we're both monsters and should eliminated for the good of all mankind." Bruce answered, nonchalantly. It wasn't important anymore. They were out.

"Unbelievable."

"He may have been crazy, but he had Shield with him. Agent Loughlin was there when I almost escaped." Steve noted, solemn.

"You almost escaped?"

Steve and Bruce shared an understanding look. They were a quite proud of their almost escape.

"Yeah, it was a... team operation. Hulk distracted the man and Loki did a bit of his magic, allowing me to reach the door. But as I was trying to find a way to free Bruce and Loki, I ran into Agent Loughlin and thought he was there to stop the Mask... turns out they were working together. Next time I woke, I was in chains."

"But there were very few guys in the whole building." Stark said. "Either the SHIELD big guns don't know about the Mask and that place or they don't care much about this op."

"Then why were they in their uniforms?"

Yes, something wasn't quite right there. Tony looked a this friends.

"You really tink Loki has nothing to do with this?"

They both nodded.

"Yes, I mean look at him. He's gone through hell. And there's no way that SHIELD, of all people, could be working with him."

There was a silence, while they all thought, tried to figure out the mystery.

Then Steve spoke.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to continue investigating with your science stuff and technology stuff. I haven't slept in a bed in weeks and super-soldier or not, I do miss it."

"Sure" Tony answered. " Got a room for you on the third floor, it's a red blue and white door. You can't miss it."

Steve was surprised hearing this.

"I'm... honored, Stark."

Tony just smiled, amused by the Captain.

"No biggie. Sweet dreams, Cap."

And so Steve left, tired and sleepy but invigorated by the food and the fact that they were no longer prisoners. It felt almost too good to be true.

"Your room is green." Tony told Bruce, still smiling.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the moment. Having a drink with a friend. Having left the problems very far away.

Then Bruce stood up.

"Hey, I was thinking on checking up on Loki, he should have awoken by now. Do you have any medical supplies around?"

"Yeah, of course, I'll show you. But, Bruce, are you absolutely, 100% sure this was not one of Loki's schemes? A pity-play to get in your good graces, so he can destroy us from the inside.?"

"Well, I guess you can never be totally sure with a guy that's called the god of lies, but yes, I'm as sure as I can be. I'm not gonna say he's good now, but I think he has no reason to be against us anymore. He tried, he failed and he can't go through the pain of failing again. So he sticks with us."

"Ok, then."

When Bruce entered the room were the Asgardians were, he felt as if Thor's sad eyes followed him everywhere he moved. The god of thunder was obviously worried sitting by his brother's bed. Loki looked still the same, pale and unconscious. He was taking his time to wake up.

Bruce noted with concern that Loki's heart rate was too low, his breathing too shallow. He opened the shirt to see the extent of the damage done by the Mask and ended wishing he hadn't. It was terrifying. It was weeks of torture displayed in front of their eyes.

Cuts, burns, bruises. Loki's chest was like one enormous wound.

Thor looked sad and a bit regretful. He knew he had to take Loki back to prison as soon as possible and that just made him sad. He knew it wouldn't be too hard, now that Loki was weakened. Part of Thor just wanted to leave his brother there, on Midgard, to make up for all the terrible things he'd been through the last weeks. But that couldn't be - Loki would use his kindness to create chaos. If he helped Loki he would regret it and innocent people would pay.

No, he would accomplish the mission he was supposed to do, the reason why he came to earth. He would locate Loki and take him back for to his prison on Asgard. He would only give him a couple of days to recover from this attack.

Bruce started working on Loki, healing the angrier looking wounds with dedication. He couldn't believe that in all the time they spent in the cell he hadn't noticed how badly Loki was injured. But he was.

When he finished he went to sleep, too. Loki never woke up.

Tony was on his workshop, doing some research with the help of JARVIS.

Thor wondered if there was something he could do, anything he could try to get the old version of his brother back - the version he could trust, the one that did good mixed with mischief. His Midgardian friends seemed to have seen that Loki too, or else they wouldn't be so kind to him. They had apparently been impressed enough to want to help him - even believe that he was not at fault for their dire situation. But maybe he was betraying them too.

One could never know with Loki. The one thing Thor did know was that his brother was hurt, badly. So he would stay - as long as he was needed. Loki looked so peaceful, lying there, asleep. Thor's heart softened a bit.

"I miss you, Loki."

Downstairs Tony was making some connections he didn't like. But the info was there, undeniable. It didn't lie. He spent all night up trying to find some other connection, some other explanation. There wasn't.

When he went up to get some breakfast, he found them all there: Thor, eating as if food would run out the next second, and Steve, eating equally enthusiastically. On the other side of the table Bruce was having some tea while explaining his work on anti-protons to an ill-looking but awake Loki, who listened attentively.

Tony was poured himself some coffee. Were they just going to act normally, as if there wasn't a serial killer sharing breakfast with them?

"So, did you find something interesting on the computers, Stark?" said Steve's voice, interrupting his thoughts.  
Ok. Time to come clean.

"There was someone that linked Agent Loughlin and the rest we saw there... Someone who had access to that building and had good reason to be mad at black and blue over there." He said, looking at Loki. God, this was going to be harder than he thought. "But it's just speculation, you know, can't really prove..."

This was no time to be fooling around.

"Tony!" Bruce interrupted. "Who?"

"The only thing all this guys had in common, they only one they all know is... Clint. Clint Barton. This could have been all a very complicated ruse so Clint could get some revenge on Loki."

A/N: I know, plot twist! Things will be explained, not to worry. Is Clint the Mask? If he isn't does he have anything to do with this madman? Will Thor return Loki to Asgard?  
Reviews make me happy ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Tony looked at his friends in the kitchen: Steve shocked at his revelation but looking perfect as ever; a more disheveled Bruce who didn't all that surprised, Thor every bit as imposing as ever.. and Loki. Looking like – well, like what he was a victim of torture. Pale, bruised, cut up, and exhaustion and pain in his eyes.

"I'm not saying it had to be Clint, I'm saying we shouldn't dismiss the idea completely because he's our friend. He's also a top-class assassin, you know?"

Steve frowned.

"But why us? Loki, I understand, more or less, but Bruce and me – he's got nothing against us. Why would he take us prisoner, try to starve us?"

Tony shook his head. That wasn't like that, not as easy.

"He's top SHIELD he's got access to every file that exist about you two, of course he knows you wouldn't starve that easy. He was playing to be bad, while not having to lay a hand on his friends at all."

Bruce looked at Tony. Truth was, the thought had crossed his mind when he'd seen the toxic hate that the Mask had for Loki.

"And I'm guessing you have a theory of why he took us, too?"

Tony had one, indeed.

"I do. Think about it, if Loki was killed on earth after being tortured for months, first thought anyone would have was that this was personal. Because it feels personal, doesn't it? The abuse, the humiliation, how he kept at it for weeks… there is motivation there further than duty or morals. That's revenge. Which would lead everyone to Clint, among others. Now, I'm guessing nobody would mind it much here if Loki died –no offense, pal- but Big and Thunderous would probably be slightly unhappy if he found the body of his baby brother with signs of being tortured for months."

"I would not have had any rest until I had shown the perpetrator the full extent of my wrath." Thor boomed form his chair. Loki shook his head, sad. It wasn't true. Thor didn't care for him anymore, nobody did. This was all a show. It had to be.

The thunderer's statement fueled Tony's speech further.

"Now, a regular psycho would have seen Thor and Loki fight, and wouldn't have thought there would be any problem. But Clint knows us, and knows he doesn't want to experience Thor's wrath. So what does he do? He takes two people Thor trusts to witness that it is not him who does these terrible deeds, but some other guy with a mask. A story of a man with a crusade against monsters, of lost research, of heroes and swords. So, when Loki is dead Thor will direct his wrath against this Mask, not him."

Tony didn't want to seem hateful towards Barton, but it all made sense. Something had been weird since the beginning in this whole story, and this explained all.

"Have you never wondered why the Mask was so sadistic with Loki but never even touched you guys? Even after you sided with him, even after you almost escaped. It was because this was not about you, it was about him. Another example, why were they letting Steve go in that escape attempt? Because he had seen, heard the story, they didn't need him anymore."

Steve knew this made sense.

"They only sent someone to stop me when I was trying to free them… Bruce and Loki."

"Exactly. And they would've let us go, yesterday, just the same. We got some Agents at the starts, yeah, because Thor was there and they probably thought he was coming for his brother. Think about it – Clint has said more than once that if he ever crossed paths with Loki he wouldn't be as merciful as last time. So, he takes him to this place he has, with some friends, builds himself a nice strong alibi. _It wasn't me, it was this Mask guy! Maybe you don't believe me, but surely you'll believe the word of Captain America. _So like that, he takes Loki, plays with him for as long as he wants, kills him but doesn't have to face the consequences."

Thor looked at Loki. His brother looked like a terminally ill man, but refused to show weakness. He kept his back uptight, his head held high. Thor was glad to see that prison hadn't broken him, like it did with so many others.

"What do you say, brother?"

Loki rolled his eyes upon hearing the _brother_ bit but answered anyway.

"I do not think it was Barton…Your theory is sound, Stark, but…. I cannot explain it, but I don't think it was him."

Tony, as usual, had a theory.

"Maybe because he used to be your minion and you don't want to think he would hate you that much?" He suggested. Barton had been Loki's right hand man on the invasion, to have him who so close torture you, had to hurt. Both ways. Physically and otherwise.

"That is a possibility, yes."

"Which would mean one of our team-mates is a sadistic torturer."

"God, Stark, I really hope you're wrong." Steve said. This whole situation made him incredibly uncomfortable.

"What do we do, then?" Bruce asked, finishing his drink.

"I've already wiped the internet and his colleagues will probably be loyal to him, keep the Mask story. I say we go to his place and look for anything that connects him with this. If we find nothing, we breathe again and keep searching; if we find something, we breathe again because a psycho is no longer in our team. That sounds good?" The people nodded. "Ok, next order of business… What we gonna do about Bruises here? I know you guys made friends with him, but he is technically a criminal…"

It was Steve who spoke this time, even if Bruce seemed to ready to do it too.

"He's served for what he did, on Asgard and here. I don't say we let him go free and absolve him of everything… I say we give him a couple of weeks. Parole, if you will. We watch he doesn't do anything illegal and but no more prison. Just the thought of prison…" Steve shuddered. It had been rough days, memories that would not be erased.

Thor smiled a bit. It was nice seeing his friends and his brother on the same side, for once. It was nice seeing them defend each other. A new team, with Loki in it. It didn't sound too bad.

Loki, of course, didn't believe those guys really liked him. Maybe they pitied him a bit because they'd with him in that hell and they knew how horrible it was, but nothing else. When the bruises faded, their mercy and fondness would probably fade too. But it was no problem. He would be strong enough to use his magic then. No longer at the mercy of anyone. He would go along for a bit, he was curious as to who had imprisoned them, and these men seemed to have good plans.

He really hoped it was not Barton.

Some hours later they prepared everything and left to find some reason.

Clint's place was small and didn't have too much furniture. It was on the top floor of a very high building, as was expected. There were no lights on, but that didn't mean anything: Barton liked the heights and shadows, he probably wasn't a guy who ate pizza in front of the TV while laughing at America's funniest videos. He was darker than that. When the four Avengers and Loki arrived at the place, there weren't any signs of life in the apartment.

They divided the team to cover more ground: Steve went to the study, Tony to the kitchen, Bruce to the living room, Thor to the balcony (of course the place had a balcony) and Loki went to the bedroom. They started looking everywhere for something that would connect him to the Mask. It felt a bit wrong, raiding a friend's place like that, but they told themselves it was just to clean his name.

Everything was dark, everything was clean.

Steve hadn't found anything and was glad. He would much rather if their captor had been some unknown madman and not a soldier (Agent, but wasn't it more or less the same?) he respected. But then he saw a blanket on a chair and took it – and there it was, on the chair, perfectly centered. The Mask. The leather mask the man had been wearing. Shit.

Loki was walking through the darkness when suddenly someone pinned him to a wall and put something in his neck. An arrow. Loki's green eyes met Barton's blue.

"Loki. I've been waiting for this for years." He said, as he let the tip of the arrow cut Loki's fair skin a bit. The god, instead of looking scared looked just confused.

"Years?"

There was a noise, and suddenly the rest of the team on the door. Tony with a gun, Thor with his hammer, Steve with his shield and Bruce clearly on the verge of green-ness.

"Let him go, you psychopath!" Tony said, dead serious.

And in that moment Clint's expression mirrored Loki's one of confusion. What the hell was this all about? Why on earth would his team call him a psychopath? And why did they all seem so angry with him? They invaded his house, invited his tormentor and then insulted him, really?

"Psychopath? What the hell, guys?"

A/N: I know is super-short but it had been a while since I updated this and I wanted to give you guys something to go on. Things get complicated, don't they? Is Clint really guilty? If he isn't, why was the Mask there? Or is he playing the role of clueless? And what is Loki planning on doing after the _parole_? Sorry for any mistakes!

Anyways, hope you liked it, and do review!


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